The Imagination Latibule: The Little Mermaid - Eric

Chapter 3

You swum to shore, and in the shallows no legs grew in lieu of a tail. King Triton's magic sensed somehow that you were disobeying him, and wanted no part in it. But that didn't stop you. With Eric in your arms, you dragged him onto dry land, lying him in the sand where the waves lapped gently at his feet. 

This was the last place you should be. Triton would remove your ability to grow legs should he know. But you weren't about to let an innocent man drown. Especially Eric. For someone you'd known for so little a time, you'd never felt a stronger connection to anyone. 

"Wake up," you whispered, shaking his shoulders. His lips parted slightly and a whispered groan came out. So he was alive. You gently pushed his hair from his face, and were quiet content to just sit and watch him, singing to yourself as he came too. Siren song was infamous amongst sailors, but what they didn't know is it didn't have to enchant people. 

The smile on your face widened as Eric unconsciously raised his hand and curled it around yours loosely. His eyes opened into a squint - those beautiful blue eyes; ones that made time stand still - and you were about to say hello when there were shouts from the cliff above. You looked up to see a group of the royal guard rushing towards the shore, then looked down to see your tail, still in full effect. Not wishing to be caught as a mermaid, you pulled Eric's hand from yours and slid back into the water where you hid behind a rock.

"Down on the sand, over here!" one of them yelled, dropping to Eric's side. He put his fingers to the princes neck. 

"Is he breathing?" 

"He's alive, alert the Queen!" 

A guardsmen on either side of Eric, they lifted him to his feet, slinging his arms over their shoulders as they carted him off the beach. You watched until they were no longer in sight, and felt an indescribable sorrow wash over you. You wanted to know him. You needed to. 

"y/n." There was a whisper, and you turned around to see Sebastian swimming towards you. He climbed onto the rock, and there was an accompanying yell to a squawk as Skuttle landed on Sebastian.  

"Ahh! Get off me, you fool!" Sebastian cried and you quieted, worried at what sort of mood he'd be in.

"Oh, hey. Didn't expect to find you here," Scuttle said, climbing off what she thought would be lunch. She glanced at you. "And I really didn't expect to find you here."

"Hey," you said but Sebastian shushed you and Scuttle in one swoop of his claws.

"You listen to me, bird," Sebastian said. "The King can never hear of this. We are going to forget this ever happened." Scuttle stared blankly and Sebastian pinched one of her feathers, yanking it from her wing.

"Ow!"

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yes."

"You won't tell him, you won't tell him, I won't tell him, and I will stay in one piece. You got it?" 

You nodded immediately.  "Got it."

"Sorry, what'd you say again?" Scuttle asked and Sebastian groaned.

"I'm a dead crab."

"Don't worry about it Scuttle," you said. "Sebastian, a word?" You nodded your head towards the ocean and he was more than happy to leave the surface. He followed you down to the seabed, and you sat between the corals. 

"y/n, what in Poseidon's name were you thinking?" Sebastian cried. "If Triton knew..." 

"He doesn't, and he won't," you said. "Besides, wouldn't you rather it was me up there than Ariel?" 

"Yes, but --" 

"-- and didn't my going up there stop her from investigating too?" 

"Yes, but--"

"--and am I right in saying that she's busy right now happily collecting debris off the ocean floor to add to her grotto, where she will be happily preoccupied under the sea for the foreseeable?"